Antiskid means



Aug- 31 1954 s. P. J. KEINNEN 2,687,759

ANTISKID MEANS Filed Ju'ly 28. 1950 3 Shee ts-Sheet 1 BY /X Aug. 3l, 1954 s. P. J. KEINNEN ANTISKID MEANS `s sheets-sheet :2

Filed July 28, 1950 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 31, 1954 UNITED s TAT Es PATENT' y oFFIc ANTISKID intens` sum Pasivo Johannes Keinnen, Helsinki; Finland Application JulyZS,` 1950,' SerialNoilVgll'S ments in tires of the pneumatic: type and it is the primary cbjectof, the invention to provide a` tire of: improved anti-skid properties, particularlyivonl slippery and icy.` surfaces and the like.

The invention contemplates the provision of anti-skid means as used1 on vehicle tires and of the type comprising;alplurality4 of interconnected links whichwhencmountedin'proper position on the tire lieagainstthecuter peripheral surface. thereof.

Practice has-shown that a` non-skid device if formed to have a smooth` tread-contacting surface Will not stay in.` place but` tends to` slide on the tire. This` sliding motion places the links of the devicefunder tensile stresses which ultimately break the-non-skid device. observed that when a vehicle is driven over a road the vehicle weight on a road-contacting` link of the non-skid device will` causethe link` to sink more ori less deeply into-the road surface depending on the hardness ofA the road: Then the link bites` into the road: surfaceprevent.-

It has beenV 4 Claims. (Cl. 152-191.)

ing skidding. Because of the kinetic energyY of' a vehicle in motionthe tire will tend to: slide', in'` respect to the smooth surface ofA thexlink-` and;

becausesuch a surface'is-incapa'ble of: preventing this motion, it follows1 thatf thelink willi slide slightly backward on the tire.` This motion repeats itself` fori each subsequent link; As' this i One of the purposes of the present invention Y is toovercomethis objectionableifeature of.' the non-skid devices heretofore employed. This isV accomplished, iny accordanceI with the present invention, by forming eachlink of` the non-skid device` with atransverse-ribextending from` the linktovvard. the tread of. the tire, and adapted to:` sink partly into the tread surface. at least.

under maximum loading.. This` transverse rib causes a rocking motion of.. the link,l and, thus obviates tensile stresses and prevents the tire` from slipping relative to the link.

`In the.. follow-ing. some embodiments of the invention will be described.` with reference to the accompanying` drawings, in Y which:`

lig.` 1` isaside elevation of a link` according.

to one embodiment` of the present-invention, while p p Fig. 2 is a crossi-sectionalong` line.` A-A of Fig; 1;,

2. Fig,I 3 `is aplan viewfthereof, and` Fig- V 4 a plan viewI showing'` two` of the links illustratedA inif Figs. 1-3 as.- coupledr to each. other.

Fig. 5 is a side elevationv of; a link accordingto a secondembodimentof the invention; and

Fig; 6is a plan View` thereof.

Fig. 7 is'a side elevation of` a;link according` to-a third.` embodiment; of the: invention,` While Fig. 8 is anend view thereoand Fig. 9 f a plan A viewi thereof;

Fig. 10 is a sectiontakenfalong line B-B of Fig. 9:

Fig. 11 shows hoW the interconnected,` links according` to the present invention arrange themselves with respect': to` thentire when run over a road surface that is*v soft',r e. g. covered by snow: p

Fig.` 12 is similar to Fig, 11; showing the road surface as hard, e; g; covered'. by ice. n

Fig. 13 shows how the` links arrange themselvesw-hen run|over ha hard rca-de. g. of concrete.

Fig; 1'4 issimilar to Fig. 1l but1shows alcrosssection thereof.

Fig. l5. is similari to Fig. 121but` shows a crosssection thereof.

Fig. 16. illustrates links as coupled to` each other and. mounted on; a tire,` the tire being shown-partly in section;

Referring to Figs. 1 4` the links comprise an` elongated bottom-platel having a longitudinal rib 2 and a transversejrib` 3. @ne end of the longitudinal rib 2- is shaped into` a hook 4 and the-other end intoav ring 5; Thematerial thick- `ness` of the ring 5 approximatelyr corresponds toithe breadth ofA the opening 6; of` the hook 4 and` the ring'breadtlf1,y 'lapproximately corresponds to the breadth of the hook cavity 8; The hook d and ring 5 are constructed so` that on interconnecting the links into theA position shown in Figlf the'ring 5, must first be forced into the hook opening 6 by' arranging the links to be interconnected transversely of each: other and. onlyy after this hasl been done, by' turning them intovlongitudinal engagement.

Referring toFigs. 5:.and 6; the link` has a hook dfatboth ends thereof;

In-Fig. '7` the reference numeral',` Ilr designates thebottom-plate of thelink.` Thesaid bottomplate Il need not necessarilyextend over the whole length andf breadthr. ofV the `link but may beinadeonlyrsorwider asto efficiently strengthen the variouspartsof the link. Shouldthe `various parts-voi thelink elementbezmadefotherwise suificientlyv strong; the: parts: corresponding; to` the;

bottom-plate can be totally eliminated. For the sake of clearness, however, the bottom-plate will be referred to in both of these paragraphs as well as in the one following. The top part of the bottom-plate II is provided with a longitudinal rib l2 or so-called guide rib and transversely of the said guide rib is arranged a rib I3 or socalled traction and brake rib. In this instance one end of the rib I2 is shaped into a hook I4 which extends slightly below the bottom-plate II, as it is clearly shown in Fig. 7. The ring 5 shown in Figs. 1-4 is in this embodiment substituted by a fork I5, the legs of which are designated by the reference numerals IEa and Ib. The distance between the legs I 6a and Iib is slightly greater than the thickness of the hook I4 so that the fork I5 can accommodate the hook I4. A pin I'I provided for connecting the ends of legs I6a and I6b can either be xed or detachable. The thickness of the pin I'I corresponds approximately to the diameter of the cavity I8 of the hook I4. The axis of the pin I'l is located as much below the bottom-plate II as the centre point of the cavity I B ofthe hook Ill. It is to be understood that a hook for fastening the link can be substituted by an aperture for receiving the pin Il'. Moreover, underneath the bottomplate II are provided two ribs I9a and leb, as clearly shown in Fig. 10. These ribs are provided for the purpose of making the link as strong and light in construction as possible. Obviously even one rib will do, and more than two ribs can also be used.

The anti-skid means according to the invention can be further developed by providing a rib disposed transversely of the ribs I9a and IQIJ and located underneath the bottom-plate Ii.

As is evident from Figs. 14-16, the rubber tire is made so that there is formed in the central portion thereof an endless groove 2l or a series of longitudinal recesses for. receiving the longitudinal portions underneath the bottom-plate of the link. Advantageously the groove 2| is of suicient depth to retain therein the inserted portion of the link without the same contacting the groove bottom-except possibly under maximum loading conditions.

On either side of the groove 2| or longitudinal recesses corresponding thereto are advantageously provided continuous circumferential tread surface portions 22 and 23 having a width approximately equal to the width of the link which extends from the sides of the groove 2l. The said tread surface portions 22 and 23 and/or the outer circumferential 'parts of the tire are advantageously provided with grooves, which form various surface designs 24, which assist in preventing skidding.

The links according to the invention are interconnected to form a continuous chain in the manner shownin Figs. 11-13 and 16.

The operation of the anti-skid means is as follows:

When the chain of links is tightened around the tire, the longitudinal portion of each link is located totally or in part in the endless circumferential groove or in the series of recesses countered road surface thus serving as efficient means for non-slipping.

When a vehicle is run on a hard surface, e. g. on an ice-covered road (Fig. 12), the load on the links increases and consequently the links penetrate partly into the road surface and partly into the tire tread surface.

When driven over an exceptionally hard road, e. g. a concrete laid road (Fig. 13), the links sink completely into the tire in consequence of the resilience characteristic of pneumatic tires, as is also the case when a tire of the kind described encounters and rolls over localized elevations protruding from the road surface (softness etc.).

It is to be noted that the vehicle weight will, regardless of the type of the road surface, rest on the tire tread surface as is also the case on employing a tire without the anti-skid means made according to the present invention.

It is to be understood that the accompanying drawings and the descriptions referring thereto have been given solely for the purpose of illustrating the inventive concept. This applies especially to the shape of the link and particularly to that portion which operates against the `road surface. In the embodiments shown in Figs. 1-10 the longitudinal rib which prevents lateral skidding and guides vehicle movement, and the traction and braking improving rib transversely disposed of the said rst mentioned rib together form a cross-like figure. This need not necessarily be the case for the principal idea is that the link is provided with one or more transverse ribs and one or more longitudinal ribs. In addition tc the cross-like figure these ribs can be arranged to form the figure T or the figure H. or they can be quite apart from each other.

Obviously the anti-skidding means can also comprise two or more interconnected or two or more separate chains of links.

The link as a whole can be made according to the invention so that it can as such be adopted for use with heretofore known tires. The link, however, can also be designed as efcient as possible without the slightest regard to known tread surface designs, in which case the tire tread surface is made so as to conform to the constructionally best possible link.

What is claimed is:

1. An antiskid device for a pneumatic tire having a circumferential groove formed in its tread, comprising a plurality of similarly constructed rigid link elements joined to form an endless chain, each link including a plate, a longitudinal rib thereon and a transverse rib on the plate, said ribs extending outwardly from said plate relative to the tire, a second transverse rib extending inwardly from said plate relative to the tire, having a length greater than the width of said groove, a second longitudinal rib extending inwardly from said plate relative to the tire having a thickness less than the width of said groove and a height less than the depth of the said groove.

2. An antiskid device for a pneumatic tire having a circumferential groove formed in its tread, comprising a plurality of similarly constructed rigid link elements joined to form an endless chain, each link including a plate, a longitudinal rib thereon, the end of which is shaped to form a hook, a transverse rib on the plate, said ribs extending outwardly from said plate relative to the tire, a second transverse rib extending inwardly from said plate relative to the tire having a length greater than the width of 5 said groove, a second longitudinal rib extending inwardly from said plate relative to the tire having a thickness less than the width of said groove and a height less than the depth of the said groove, the end of said second longitudinal rib being shaped to a ring for engaging the hook of a subsequent link of the chain.

3. An antiskid device for a pneumatic tire having a circumferential groove formed in its tread, comprising a plurality of similarly constructed rigid link elements joined to form an endless chain, each link including a plate, a longitudinal rib thereon, the end of which is Shaped to form a ring, a transverse rib on the plate, said ribs extending outwardly from said plate relative to the tire, a second transverse rib extending inwardly from said plate relative to the tire having a length greater than the width of said groove, a second longitudinal rib extending inwardly from said plate relative to the tire having a thickness less than the Width of said groove and a height less than the depth of the said groove, the end of this second longitudinal rib being shaped to form a hook for engaging the ring of a subsequent link of the chain.

4. An antiskid device for a pneumatic tire having a circumferential groove formed in its tread, comprising a plurality of similarly constructed rigid link elements joined to form an endless chain, each link including a plate, a longitudinal rib thereon, a transverse rib on the plate, said ribs extending outwardly from said plate relative to the tire, a second transverse rib extending inwardly from said plate relative to the tire having a length greater than the Width of said groove, a second longitudinal rib extending inwardly from said plate relative to the tire having a thickness less than the width of said groove and a height less than the depth of the said groove, the said second longitudinal rib having one end shaped to form a hook and its other end shaped to form a fork, each of said links being provided with a pin mounted in said fork transversely, for engaging the hook of a subsequent link of the chain.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 802,005 Lyon Oct. 17, 1905 958,748 LaDriere May 24, 1910 1,054,980 Morgan Mar. 4, 1913 1,258,863 Brown Mar. 12, 1918 1,270,550 Poling June 25, 1918 1,279,385 Mcauley Sept. 17, 1918 1,334,110 Moriarty Mar. 16, 1920 1,517,766 Torzewski Dec. 2, 1924 1,609,464 Compton Dec. 7, 1926 1,848,444 Tully Mar. 8, 1932 2,276,640 Ansel Mar. 17, 1942 2,441,656 Ansel May 18, 1948 

